Canning for the first time tonight - some last minute questions!!
cziga
12 years ago
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cziga
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agocziga
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
Last minute cookie question...
Comments (7)What a pain in the patootie!!! I added about 1/3 cup flour total and it never firmed up in the fridge, so I put it in the freezer. I'd reach in and grab a handful and work as fast as I could before the dough started to "melt" and stick to my counter. Used lots of flour for rolling too. There are many that don't look much like hearts, but they baked up nice. DH says they taste good...I can't try any until tomorrow because I'm low carbing and tomorrow is a planned carb day(then back on plan). If DS, DIL and kids could stay all day I would have the kids ice and decorate them, but they'll only be here a short time so they can get on the road before dark(they're 90 minutes away in the Twin Cities). So, as soon as they finish cooling I'll throw some pink icing on them and call it good(well, maybe some chocolate icing too). I think I need a different cookie recipe...I don't want to fight with this stuff again! Thanks for the help, Ladies!...See MoreFirst time owner of a FL, have some questions on soaps
Comments (13)kodiakbear: "I've got a box of biokleen on the way from amazon just to try after reading some good information on that soap. Because of how little you need to use it should last long enough to justify ordering online and we have prime through amazon so there were no shipping charges. I'll follow the advice of try different ones to see which works best with our water." We have had front-loading washing machines (exclusively) since the late 1930s, which was well before top-loading automatic washers were invented, and we have never been anal-retentive about adopting any routines to avoid musty or moldy smells -- and yet we never have experienced musty or moldy smells. However: (1) it never occurred to us to close the door until it latched after we removed the wet clothes from the washer, so ours always has remained slightly ajar between washes; and (2) it has been our practice to use a scoop (about 1/3 cup) of borax in every load. Borax is a mild disinfectant as well as a strategy to reduce the quantity of soap or detergent that we need to use; it typically rinses better than detergent alone does, too. Our current washing machine, like yours, is a recent model Samsung (ours is a WF419aaw), and the operator's manual, not to mention stickers on the inside of the detergent dispensing drawer itself, are quite clear and unambiguous that the only detergents that you should use in it must be rated or labeled HE. Your choice of Biokleen is an excellent one; several years back, after experimentation with the available options, we settled on the All Temperature liquid version of Biokleen (which is concentrated "HE 3X") as the best solution for us, and -- using our one scoop of borax per load -- need only one-half capful of detergent per load. So we get at least one hundred -- probably more -- loads out of the 64-oz/"64 load" bottle. (The All Temperature Biokleen liquid differs from the Cold Water Biokleen liquid only in that the latter contains enzymes; we prefer to add our enzymes, in the form of Biokleen Bac-Out, only as needed, rather than in every load). When you are getting low on the Biokleen powder that is on the way to you now, you may want to try the Biokleen liquid next, seeing as your Amazon Prime subscription makes the shipping cost irrelevant. As dadoes rightly points out, the specific nature of your water will have a lot to do with what laundry detergent works best for you, so keep experimenting until you are satisfied; the perfect match is Out There somewhere. Here is a link that might be useful: More about Biokleen liquid all-temperature...See MoreSorry for Last Minute Question
Comments (13)We'll probably be having lunch about 1 o'clock. I have a thirty minute drive to get there and have lots of food to load as well as the gifts. Sure wish I could get some "Whip-it." I've never heard of it and we don't have a Cost Plus World Market. The most "uptown" thing we have is a Fresh Market, with Publix being the best grocery store here. Annie, I always think of you as being strong as a ox with all of the farm work and everything you do. It sounds like even you were a sick little kid. So glad you are feeling better and the little ones didn't get it. My two grandchildren had received one H1N1 injection each and so far they don't have the flu. Thanks to everyone of you for the suggestions and hope you are all having a great Christmas! AFter your suggestions I googled and this is what I found on Ochef. How to Stabilize Whipped Cream I have a recipe for a potato chip dip that calls for whipped cream. Is there any kind of preservative to put in it to make it stay? Whipped cream, as you know, is a very fragile foam of air bubbles, a water film, and droplets of fat. The fat wants to turn into butter; the water wants to weep out of the foam; the air wants to escape back into the atmosphere of your kitchen. And you have the bright idea of trying to incorporate it into something that you're going to slather on potato chips. How long do you expect this wonder dip to last? There are a few things you can do to stabilize whipped cream, but we can't guarantee how long they will hold. Nor can we predict what will happen when you add your other dip ingredients. One method to stabilize whipped cream is to add two teaspoons of nonfat dry milk powder for each cup of cream before you whip it. Another more elaborate method is to add gelatin to your whipped cream. The challenge is that you want to keep the cream (and bowl and beaters) cold, but that you have to heat gelatin in order to dissolve it. Add hot gelatin to your whipped cream and you will defeat your purpose and deflate the cream. The best approach is to soften the gelatin by sprinkling it on cold water and waiting a bit. Then heat the mixture enough to get it to dissolve (but keeping it below boiling, which reduces the gelatin's holding ability). Allow it to cool to roughly body temperature, and then incorporate it into the whipped cream. If you allow the gelatin to cool too much, it will set into one large sheet the moment you stir it into the whipped cream. If it is the right temperature, you will be able to incorporate some amount of it into the whipped cream, without causing the cream to deflate. Another method for incorporating gelatin into whipped cream involves melting a marshmallow and incorporating that into the whipped cream near the end of the whipping (but we're assuming you don't want the sweetness of the marshmallow in your dip). There are also some packaged stabilizers you may be able to find in supermarkets and cake decorating stores. Dr. Oetker's Whip It is one brand name, and is a starch product that binds the liquid parts of the whipped cream together, helping it to remain stable for several hours....See MoreLast minute staging question about artwork
Comments (17)Having just gone through buying one home, then selling another, my take: When I saw pictures, artwork, etc on walls, my first thought was 'Oh, no, this room is going to have to be spackled and painted before we can use it'. Do leave the can(s) of new paint you used, labelled by room, if you can, for the buyers. As a seller, we took everything down, spackled and painted all the rooms. Not necessarily in neutrals, but in nice, colors that were modern and went with the house/rooms, etc. The only decorating we did for staging was things that weren't attached. Couldn't have been a wrong decision--in the short time our house was on the market, we had over 2 dozen parties go through, several came back for 'second looks' and we signed a contract to sell 6 weeks after we listed. Mind you, that was in this awful economy, in a declining neighborhood, and we got $50,000 more than a very similar house that had sold a few months before ours did. Not saying the clean walls were the ONLY reason for that, but they certainly didn't hurt. I think your second picture looks fine. The chairs no longer go well in the room, but you can't help that and lookers aren't going to care about your furniture. Bare floors are much better for people looking--we also had most of our floors bare. Potential buyers appreciate being able to see the condition of the entire floor. The one thing that you might change is the conversation pit. It looks very odd in the picture, to have so much space, but then have the chairs and sofa so smooshed together, so that you couln't even walk past someone sitting in one of the chairs to get to the sofa. Makes one wonder if there's either something being hidden, or if it's impossible to arrange the furniture in a more comfortable way in the room. Look, I know conversation areas are the 'in' thing, but just pulling the furniture out a foot or so isn't going to hurt anything and it's going to look a lot less cramped. And remember, not everyone reads the style mags, and many don't have the imagination to picture other options than what you're showing. A more traditional arrangement (even if it's not trendy) may be a better choice for interesting buyers of all ages. But bottom line? No matter what anyone here says, your best resource is your agent. He or she knows what buyers in your area are likely to be looking for, how other houses compare to yours. Let her/him be the one you really listen to....See Moredigdirt2
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agodgkritch
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agodgkritch
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agocziga
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agoLinda_Lou
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agodigdirt2
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agocziga
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agodigdirt2
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agochudak
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agodigdirt2
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agocziga
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agodigdirt2
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agocziga
12 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
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